Thug, have you met Billy Burke? Are you considering his school for enrollment, or what? What made you suspicious of his claims? Also, why are you interested in Michael Echanis? Echanis' death under mysterious circumstances in Nicaragua makes it kind of hard to verify if someone trained with him. Burke doesn't claim he met him in the service, so it is possible he trained with him when Echanis was a mercenary.

If you are considering training under Burke, why not just call him up and ask him for military references?

Now, one thing that does make me suspicious of his claims is that Echanis was a buddy of none other than John M. La Tourrette, a bullshitter who claims four 10th degree black belts, and the subject of another bs thread that you can locate on this site (just do a search). The fact that Echanis was at one point involved with La Tourrette, and is now being used as a reference by Burke, makes Burke "look" suspicious. But you're going to need a hell of a lot more facts here. You need to do more research.

By the way, Stunt, you are wrong that spec ops never "kiss and tell". You ever heard of Dickie Marcinko? Rogue Warrior ring any bells for you? How about all the other SEALS who have written of their exploits? I'm sure there are some green berets who have done so also. In fact, Burke's claims are rather tame compared to others who have served in special ops, and cashed in later. It really comes down to verifying if he did what he claims to have done. If he in fact did a tour as a Green Beret, and got an honorable discharge, I think it is safe to assume he did something more than shuffle papers. BUT, if he lied about his service record, and did not serve in the unit he claimed, then you may have something.

lmao - it's amazing how LaTourette seems to have permeated the world of martial arts bullshit...
Consider this, botunga - we could each be only 6 degrees of separation from LaTourette. Of course, he'd have to actually have verifiable students or instructors for that - see the other thread

LMAO too. Yes, it sure could be only 6 degrees of separation! Frankly, Echanis' relationship with La Tourrette makes one wonder if he really died as a mercenary in Nicaragua when his helicopter blew up, or in a South LA drug deal gone bad. LOL hehehe. (Just kidding...sort of). Seriously, though, remember the so-called 5th Black thesis that John La Tourrette published as a book? (For the 5th black that he apparently never received from Ed Parker). Well, it was dedicated to none other than.....Michael Echanis.

Hypothetically, maybe La Tourrette even helped fake Echanis' death so he could have a really moving dedication for his book. JUST JOKING SAM.

It kind of makes my head spin just how much "permeating" that bullshit master John M. La Tourrette has done.

Humm, yes and no to your last ? I can enlist, sign on in a scrub specialty like infantry or seamanship, and be promised a shot a spec ops and others. I just have to be a citizen, have no felonies, have color vision and decent vision at that, a minimum score on the basic aptitude test, and have a verifiable history (work, school, etc.)

Then you go to basic or boot camp, get pulled out once in a while for extra physical training, then go to your basic tech schools, then go to the introductory phase of SF (like BUDS). If you drop or get a med disqual (like a stress fracture) you get sent back to the regulars where life sucks and you are diggin fox holes or chipping paint for your last 3 years.

I'm basing this on my time in the Navy where I knew a few guys who got dropped, and one guy who was a seal and was fucking my roommate (A girl)

He said that special forces are something you don't just sign up for. You can enlist, looking for a shot, and you might get one, but not many make it. He knew several people in the Navy who tried, but didn't make it for medical or other reasons. He did know one person who became a SEAL, and that guy was nailing his roommate (who was a girl, apparently).

That help?

Originally Posted by pauli

i was once told that "do" means wrecking people's **** for your own philosophical betterment.

Originally Posted by melvin_peebles

I could be mistaking dumbness for delusion. I'll have to go dig out my DSM IV. It's great to have stumbled upon this site. The rich fauna and flora of mental dysfunction that exists in the martial arts is amazing. It's like the Galapagos.